Say a comfortable hello to Mother Nature

The Highland Centre of the Appalachian Mountain Club takes the hardship out of hiking lodges.

The centre is a low-budget, high-concept lodge that combines comfortable accommodations and hearty food architecture in a majestic mountain setting.

"The Highland Centre is an innovative and environmentally sensitive lodge and learning centre," said Rob Burbank, public affairs director of the AMC. "Here, guests can explore and experience the outdoors and make a closer connection with the natural world."

Founded in 1876, the AMC is the oldest conservation and outdoor recreation organization in the United States. It has 90,000 members and a huge roster of educational and recreational activities oriented toward nature and the outdoors.

The Highland Centre is surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest, which embraces Mount Washington. At an elevation of 1,917 metres, and part of the Appalachian chain, it is the highest peak in northeastern North America. The lodge appeals mostly to hikers who are here to tackle some of the hundreds of trails, but anyone interested in an unpretentious, nature-oriented environment is welcome. The conversation in the living and dining rooms ranges from trail conditions to what's doing in nearby New England towns like Jackson, Bethlehem and Franconia.

Lodge guests are invited to join the daily program at no charge. There might be a morning yoga session, an afternoon guided nature walk and evening lecturers or movies, all on the theme of nature and fresh-air adventures.

The outdoors is paramount here. Look upward from almost every window - guest rooms, the library, the living and dining rooms - and you are gazing at Crawford Notch at the nexus of several massive peaks of the White Mountains. The lodge is surrounded by a meadow of wild grasses, shrubs and flowers. It's deliberately un-manicured landscaping, in keeping with AMC's natural approach. A sign on the grounds asks: "To mow or not to mow?"

Green is the operating philosophy at Highland Centre: The place means business all the way from construction to execution. Where other hotels espouse eco-conscious values, the Highland Centre delivers with state-of-the-art environmental engineering. An AMC guide gives a tour of green facilities and points out key components. The frame of the building is made of recycled steel. The walls are insulated with 6.5-inch-thick recycled polystyrene. The heating system uses bio-mass radiant heat from a high-tech wood-fired boiler. The windows are designed for maximum efficiency and are triple-paned to reduce heat loss in winter. Carpet glue and wall paint are non-toxic.

Indoors, the lodge is all about simplicity, but it's anything but basic. The airy glass and wood living room was donated by L.L.Bean, the outdoor gear and sportswear retailer. The dark leather furniture is deep, cushy and attractively rustic. Two-storey windows open onto a view of the gardens and mountains. The fireplace - propane, not wood - is mounted in a fieldstone mantel that rises almost two storeys.

The guest rooms have a more dressed-down, spare look with pine furniture and plain cotton fabrics. There are 34 rooms accommodating 122 people, a mix of private quarters with queen-sized beds and private bathrooms, and bunk rooms for two to six people with shared bathrooms. Towels, linens, soap and shampoo are provided.

Highland Centre has a shop with books, maps, souvenirs of Mount Washington and small outdoors accessories like pocket knives or headlamps. On the lower level, the L.L. Bean gear room offers an extensive equipment centre for people who arrive unprepared. Here, you can borrow, at no charge, water bottles, knapsacks and high-tech clothing and boots for rain or cold weather.

Breakfast and dinner are included in virtually all stays at Highland. The morning buffet is an energy-packed spread of everything that a hiker would need for a strenuous day - fruit, pancakes, eggs, muffins and cereal. A lunch buffet also is available, or box lunches can be ordered the night before. Dinner is served family-style - one serving and guests are grouped at tables of eight. Servers bring soups, salads and heaping platters of two evening specials - usually one meat and one vegetarian. Beer and wine are available. On Fridays, dinner is a buffet.

AMC's Hiker Shuttle runs on weekends through Oct. 19 from the Highland Centre, the Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch, and other major trailheads to AMC's mountain huts along the Appalachian Trail ($16 flat fee).

The AMC organizes educational programs on conservation, wind power, air quality, land protection and climate change. On the recreation front, it has lodge-to-hut hiking, outdoor skill programs and adventure camps for families, teens and over-50s.

Highland Centre is holding Welcome Hiking Weekends for members, Nov. 14-16 and Dec. 19-21. The Harvest Festival, featuring crafts, a haunted hike, and scenic walks through the colourful fall foliage, will be held Oct. 17-19. Highland's holiday-theme Tree and Stay package, (on weekends from Nov. 28 to Dec. 21) includes two nights' lodging, a Christmas tree, a wreath and a hay ride at the Rocks Estate in nearby Bethlehem. The Rocks Estate is home to the New Hampshire Forest Society's sustainable Christmas tree farm that raises money for land conservation. For information, go to www.therocks.org.

rochelleink@aol.com

- - -

If You Go

Mount Washington and Bretton Woods are a three-hour drive from Montreal. Take Highways 10 east and 55 south to the U.S. border and Vermont Interstate 91 to New Hampshire Interstate 93. Take exit 40 for Littleton/Bethlehem and Route 302 east.

AMC Highland Centre at Crawford Notch: Route 302, Bretton Woods, N.H.; 603-278-4453, 603-466-2727; www.outdoors.org/highland. Rates include wireless internet, daily guided hikes and naturalist activities, buffet breakfast, four-course dinner and use of equipment from the L.L. Bean gear room. Private rooms with bathrooms, singles $199 U.S. per night, or $141 per person, for two, plus taxes; bunk rooms with shared bathrooms $81 per person, per night, for two to six people and $46 for each child 12 and younger; singles $110 per night. Rates are lower Nov. 1-Dec. 25, and higher Dec. 26-31. Discounts are available for AMC members or for multiple nights. Box lunches cost $12.50.